Chapter 2

Liam rushed forward. After listening to her tearful complaints, he carefully scooped her up into his arms.

"The baby will be fine, don't be scared…"

His low, comforting voice reached my ears. I clutched the car window, squeezing so hard my nails broke, tiny streaks of blood welling up.

I never knew that my husband of five years, with whom I shared a life day in and day out, would respond so promptly to a SnapChat message.

That he would show such worry, such tenderness.

That he would have… another woman, and a child.

I trembled all over, tears streaming down my face from a bitter laugh.

It had to be this day, the day I lost my own child, that I witnessed all of this firsthand.

I stumbled home in a daze and collapsed onto the bed.

The child I lost came to me in a dream, calling me "Mommy," repeating "I'm sorry" over and over.

Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through my wrist. The child vanished, replaced by Liam's utterly cold face.

"Zara lost her baby because you threw a fit and smashed my phone. I didn't see her message in time to make arrangements."

The calmer his tone, the tighter his grip. My wrist felt like it was about to shatter.

I let out a laugh.

"Dead? Good. Why should your child live when mine is gone!"

Liam stared at me, his face turning terrifying.

After a long silence, he climbed onto the bed and began to strip my clothes, almost maniacally saying, "You owe her a child. Get pregnant and miscarry to pay her back."

"Liam Hayes!"

I shrieked, my heart numb with pain.

I talked about *my* child, *our* child, but he… didn't hear me.

It turned out his world, even face-to-face, was closed off to me. He was always 'read,' but never 'replied'!

I struggled desperately, my fingers brushing against the fruit knife on the nightstand. I grabbed it and plunged it into his chest.

I hated him.

I wanted him dead!

But Liam didn't die, only suffered a minor injury.

I visited him in the hospital with my lawyer. He was in an online meeting with a client, not even sparing me a glance—

He never tolerated interruptions during work.

His phone on the nightstand suddenly chimed with that special message alert. Liam picked it up, glanced at it, paused the meeting, and typed out a long reply.

I caught a glimpse of the chat name: Zara Miller.

My heart instantly turned cold, an overwhelming emptiness settling in.

So, Liam *could* be prompt with replies, even if it meant interrupting an important international meeting.

They chatted for a full ten minutes before the meeting resumed.

Another hour passed, and the meeting ended.

I finally spoke, "Let's get a divorce. You're the one at fault, so you'll have to compensate me generously in the property division."

Liam looked up at me, his cold eyes slightly surprised.

"Zara's child isn't mine. I've never been physically intimate with her, and I never will be."

Then he changed tack:

"But I'll do everything I can for her. You'd better not try anything against her."

That guarded look pierced my heart. "How long have you two… why…"

"A year." Liam ignored the second question, pulling out a photo of Zara from his wallet and handing it to me.

Then, without looking at me, he signed the divorce papers.

"I hope to really see you at the registry in a month." He said it with a hint of sarcasm.

I didn't react, just stared at his wallet, almost burning a hole through it with my gaze.

My photo had never been in there.

After a long moment, I tore my gaze from his wallet and looked at Zara's face. After a brief愣神, I took a deep breath.

"You will."

Liam didn't believe I would actually go through with the divorce.

Perhaps he was used to my pursuit.

After all, I had endured five years of marriage where I sent ten thousand messages and he gave zero replies.

But this time, I was truly awake.

Turning around, I walked to the door. Liam frowned and called out to me.

"That villa in the South District you liked? I've transferred it to Zara. It has a forest oxygen bar, which will be good for her recovery after giving birth."

My hand clenched into a fist, my nails digging deeply into my palm.

"I told you, didn't I? That house was the first gift I intended for our baby, even though… she's gone now."

There was no response from behind me.

I looked back. Liam was typing on his phone, his attention already elsewhere.

Hah.

I quickly left the hospital room, as if putting distance between myself and this place could also distance me from this failed relationship.

Fleeing to my car, I pulled out that photo again, my fingers trembling uncontrollably.

It was uncanny.

Zara Miller looked *so much* like Daisy Stone, Liam Hayes's deceased first love.

The woman Liam truly wanted to marry.

Five years ago, the Hayes family faced a financial crisis. Only the Kingston family extended an olive branch.

The condition was to form a marital alliance, strengthening the bond between our families.

My father had long seen my affection for Liam, so he intended to help his daughter find happiness.

Our families met immediately. I looked at Liam boldly, my eyes full of stars.

But when he spoke, he said he wanted to marry Daisy Stone, my stepmother's daughter.

That's when I learned they were in love.

Family came first. There was no need to risk investing in the Hayes family for a stepdaughter.

My father decisively withdrew the marriage proposal and advised me to give up on Liam.

"Sweetheart, a good marriage is built on mutual affection. Otherwise, you'll only suffer."

I had initially given up the idea.